Chapter Sixty: Against the Rules

Immediately, Gou Ye gathered Yun Niang into his arms and let her cry as much as she needed. She wept for a long while, until her eyes were swollen and red, before she finally calmed down.

“It’s good to let it out. It’s good to cry,” everyone sighed in relief upon seeing Yun Niang release her sorrow. She wiped her tears away, turned to them, raised her cup and said, “Thank you all for coming to honor my mother, and for all your help during her funeral. Now that she’s gone, I mustn't let her worry for me. With Gou Ye and with all of you, I won’t be alone in the days to come. Thank you, everyone.”

After speaking, Yun Niang wiped her nose with her sleeve and drained her cup in one go. As she sat down, the effect of the wine quickly hit her—she had never drunk before. The world spun, everything wavered in her vision, and before she knew it, she collapsed into Gou Ye’s arms and fell sound asleep.

A broad smile spread across Gou Ye’s face. Seeing Yun Niang finally release her grief, he breathed a sigh of relief. He gently touched her forehead as she slept, and his heart was at ease at last. Smiling, he thanked everyone around him, who waved off his gratitude, all delighted to see Yun Niang’s spirits lift.

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye, and Yun Niang’s mood gradually improved—she could even laugh and joke as before. One day, as Gou Ye was hard at work drafting manuscripts in his study, Yun Niang bounced in with excitement. “Gou Ye, guess what I brought for you?”

“Wild berries? Where did you get those?” Setting down his brush, Gou Ye pulled her closer and asked.

“I asked Big Brother Bingyin to pick them for me from the hillside. He’s so stingy—picked over a dozen and only gave me two! So I brought one for you and kept one for myself. We can each have one.” Yun Niang’s playful demeanor eased Gou Ye’s heart. To see her happy again was sweeter than any wild fruit.

“That fellow—he’ll work, he’ll lend money, but when it comes to food, he and his brother are so particular! They’re always afraid of getting the short end of the stick, lest they eat less than the other,” Gou Ye chided with a laugh.

Just then, Caisheng entered, account book in hand. “Boss, these are the recent ledgers—villagers’ expenses and income, and the bills for ingredients. Business is going well; in the past few days, seven or eight more families want to set up stalls in the county.”

Gou Ye glanced over the accounts and nodded, but then his brow furrowed. “Why has the tax increased so quickly? Five days ago it was ten coins, and now it’s doubled to twenty in such a short time.”

“Maybe because business has been good? Taxes did rise sometimes when we ran shops before, but never this fast,” Caisheng replied.

Gou Ye felt uneasy. He suspected trouble and decided to visit the county soon to see how everyone was faring—he feared the magistrate might be causing them problems.

In hopes of helping Yun Niang forget her grief, Gou Ye took her to the riverbank that afternoon to grill fish. In his previous life, he was always the one grilling fish when out with friends, and his skills were superb. Soon, the fragrance wafted through the air, and even Dali, nearby, couldn’t help but swallow hungrily.

As for eating, Gou Ye would never dare invite the Guo brothers. With them, it wouldn’t matter how delicious the fish was—ten would barely be enough to fill them! Gou Ye handed the first fish to Yun Niang. “Careful, it’s hot.”

He grilled another for Dali, who had been waiting impatiently. Dali grabbed for it, burned his hand, but didn’t care—he rubbed his earlobe and took the fish, biting in and mumbling, “Mmm, delicious.”

While grilling, Gou Ye told Yun Niang stories. They laughed and chatted, and Yun Niang ran gleefully across the field, gathering yellow grass to weave into a hat. She skipped back and placed it on Gou Ye’s head. “Now you look like a real fisherman!” Gou Ye deliberately put on an elderly air, making Yun Niang laugh.

“Yun Niang, do you know? There’s an old story about a fisherman—would you like to hear it?”

Yun Niang’s eyes sparkled with anticipation. “Yes, yes! Tell me, Gou Ye!”

So Gou Ye recounted a version of the tale of the Golden Axe and Silver Axe. When he finished, Yun Niang pursed her lips. “That fisherman was too honest. The rich man gained nothing, but the fisherman went away empty-handed too—all he got was honesty...” Before she could finish, Guo Bingyin rode up on horseback from afar.

He leapt off, eyed the grilled fish, then hurried to Gou Ye. “Sir, bad news! All the villagers who went to do business have come back. The constables drove them out. You’d better come see—there’s chaos in the village now!”

Gou Ye at once called Dali, put out the fire, and grabbed Yun Niang to return to the village. Guo Bingyin, not forgetting the fish, snatched the remaining grilled one and ate it in big bites as he rode.

Just as Guo Bingyin said, the village was in turmoil. People crowded at the entrance, tools scattered, everyone visibly indignant.

Gou Ye stepped down from the cart and called out, “Everyone quiet, please! Who can tell me what happened?”

A young man approached. “Master Gou, please help us! This afternoon, business was going well until a dozen yamen runners showed up. They produced a decree, saying we were violating regulations, that we were occupying public paths and the alley wasn’t for business. We have nowhere else to go, so we all came back.”

Gou Ye snorted. As he’d feared, the county magistrate was targeting him. The laws of the dynasty clearly forbade forcibly assigning stalls or arbitrary taxes on merchants. But this magistrate, Qin, was breaking the law just to make trouble for him—utterly brazen. But as Zhu Ling once said, in this remote corner, the official’s word was law.

“Don’t worry, everyone. If that alley won’t do, I’ll find another place for you tomorrow. Go home and rest for now—I’ll find a solution,” Gou Ye reassured them, sending the villagers home.

The village elder came over and asked, “Gou Ye, is there more to it than the regulations? If so, remember to put your safety first. Business is small; a person’s life is big.”

Gou Ye smiled warmly and promised, “Don’t worry, Grandpa Li.”